Posted by FrankJ on August 09, 2007 at 20:47:29:
In Reply to: Rock Emphasis on CBS-FM posted by Jeff Scheckner on August 09, 2007 at 11:01:28:
Start by eliminating nearly all music pre 1964. Dismiss many of the "pop" and "teen" oriented acts from 1964-1969 (Dionne Warwick, Petula Clark, Gary Lewis, Herb Alpert, etc). Avoid songs that produce less than stellar results in audience testing. De-emphasize songs and artists that exemplify your competitors (the softer sounds of WLTW the album cuts of Q104, and the classic dance rhythms of 'KTU, for example). Finally, delete the many slow to medium tempo songs that impede the chosen pace of your station.
Then, concerned with demos and Arbitron results, play the remaining songs, placing the greatest percentage on the 1970s (the 60s make you sound too old to appeal to those under 40, the 80s alienate too many people between 40 and 54).
What you end up with is bland radio that tries desperately to avoid Arbitron diary keeper tune out. You also end up with the current CBS FM play list.
In an effort to be instantly distinguishable from the softer and slower WLTW, the album oriented "Classic Rock" of Q104, and the classic dance choices of KTU and/or the former Mix 102.7, the powers that be at CBS are, once again, trying to "play it safe." Every decision made is based on tried and true reactions to "what will produce the best ratings in the coveted demos, when the Arbitron results are released."
There's a major problem, though, with these tried and true reactions. Fewer and fewer people are listening to the radio, and they're listening for less and less time. When there's no compelling reason to listen, what else can we expect?
CBS FM, the greatest hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s...except those that are too slow, too "pop," too rhythmic, too old, too contemporary sounding or don't test well!
Asking CBS FM to decrease the frequent rock songs from the rotation isn't the answer. They're already strangling the play list, trying to establish a tempo and era of play. It's time to build in some relief. The listeners, and ultimately the advertisers, would be better served by including and/or increasing the number of hits that aren't held to such a strict age, tempo, texture and test result standard.
Hopefully, with the debut of Arbitron's PPM audience measurement methodology, the radio industry, as a whole, will begin working at being attractive to all who listen to the radio, not just the small universe of diary keepers. The ideas of entertaining, informing and respecting listeners was long ago replaced by, "reaching the largest audience, appealing to the lowest common denominator."
CBS FM is guilty of the same things that have plagued the vitality of radio programming for more than 30 years. Eliminate the negatives and you'll win the ratings. The only problem is that most programmers have gone well beyond trimming the fat, and have cut into the meat ane muscle, by applying scientifically achieved results to matters of emotions. Give the listeners reasons to listen, and they will. People don't pay attention to much of music radio because music radio has been content to be on "in the background."
The CBS FM air staff, particularly Monday-Friday, 6am-7pm, is as good as it gets. The music, however, will need to be addressed in the not too distant future.
Perception is everything, and right now, my perception, along with the perception of the majority of others posting on this board, is that the music presented by CBS FM is too rock oriented. They could do a better job of spacing the rock songs by playing more titles that offer a true variety of years, tempo and texture.
It's early in the evolution of the New CBS FM. I'm sure that they're getting a great deal of sampling, and the Summer Arbitron results will likely show a huge increase in audience. I hope they're not fooled into complacency by early results.
While many of us love lobster and filet mignon, we still eat at Nathan's, and Gray's Papaya, too!
There's still time to get the music right.